IT MIGHT be a New Year but some things remain refreshingly familiar – like the imminent return of Independent Venue Week (IVW).
Now in its third year, IVW aims to help promote and preserve independently run music venues around Britain and the north, with the latter being once again represented by Oh Yeah in Belfast, regular participants in the scheme since its inception in 2014.
The grassroots-focused event now incorporates 120 venues across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to which it brings seven days of gigs and music-related happenings between January 25 and January 31.
This year's official IVW Ambassadors are indie rocking Mercury Prize runners-up Wolf Alice, who follow in the footsteps of last year's IVW figurehead Frank Turner and inaugural champion Colin 'Radiohead' Greenwood.
"We are proud to be ambassadors of this year's Independent Venue Week," enthuse Wolf Alice, who will be making their live debut in Belfast later in the year with a date at The Mandela Hall, QUBSU, on March 4.
"The venues that we started off playing along with so many other bands have created some of our funnest memories to date. We'd love for that to continue for us and for other bands – so please show your support to ensure these kind of unique, intimate and sweaty shows continue for everyone to enjoy."
Artists playing shows at participating venues this year include Everything Everything, Misty Miller, Beans on Toast, Matthew E White, Mallory Knox, Childhood, Eliza & The Bear, Saffron out of Republica, Tom 'Inspiral Carpets' Hingley, Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly, Georgia, Get Inuit and Edwyn Collins.
The latter ex-Orange Juice legend will also be curating a week at Hebden Bridge Trades Club.
Other curating partners include Rob da Bank and Sunday Best, BBC Introducing, PIAS, Domino Records and The Joe Strummer Foundation.
For 2016, IVW has partnered with two charities: Attitude is Everything, a music charity working with audiences, artists and the music industry to improve deaf and disabled people's access to live music; and Stay Up Late, a 'gig buddy' scheme linking adults with learning disabilities to a volunteer with similar interests in music so they can attend gigs together.
"It's great to be back again already – this third year is our most exciting yet" said Independent Venue Week founder Sybil Bell.
"Wolf Alice have had an incredible year playing so many of the venues we are working with, culminating in their sell-out show at Brixton Academy.
"That's the kind of journey bands go on and we're so chuffed to have them as our Ambassadors this year.”
Details of all participating venues can be found at the main website Independentvenueweek.com.
Full details of whatever IVW-related treats Oh Yeah have in store for us will appear here (as in 'on this page in the very near future') as soon as they are announced, if not before.
In the meantime, why not enjoy the following New Year-inspired playlist while pondering an eternal, musical, New Year-related conundrum: should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?
After all, they were only acquaintance(s) and it's not like they've been banging down your door to keep in touch for the past however long it's been.
Answers on a postcard/brick to the usual address.
THIS WEEK'S MOST ANNOYING NEW YEAR'S NOISES
Happy New Year – ABBA
New Year – The Breeders
New Year's Day – U2
New Year's Resolution – Camera Obscura
New Year's Revolution – NOFX
In The New Year – The Walkmen
The New Year – Death Cab For Cutie
The End's Not Near – The New Year
364 Days – Murder City Devils
Space Christmas – Shonen Knife
